It’s one of the great survivors of the UK IT scene (see Two Blasts from the Past) but has not escaped the market madness unscathed. Privately held, public sector focused consultancy, Methods Consulting (nee Methods Applications) had a troublesome year (to 30th April 2011), with headline revenues down 28% to £35m. Operating margins trimmed from 3.6% to just 2.9% - more in line with commoditised body shops than specialised consultancies.
Organic decline must have been even worse as Methods acquired healthcare focused CDC Business Solutions in July 2010, whose founder, Carol Day, now sits on the Methods board. And that’s not the only board change, by the way. Method’s seemingly indomitable founder, Tony Webb, quietly resigned in April this year, ending a 21 year stint at the helm. Definitely the end of one era – and, one hopes, the beginning of another.